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CD player to compete with my vinyl rig?

Greetings,

I find that I have stopped buying CDs, which I regret because there is so much great new music out there.

My player is a Cambridge 640c and listening to it just doesn't do the 'suspension of disbelief' thing. It has all the right stuff: black backgrounds, dynamics, PRAT, detail, air, frequency extension, but as soon as the orchestral strings well up or the horns start, I want to turn it off. The timbral qualities are weird (especially massed strings, voices) and the sense of real people playing instruments isn't there. There's a sheen and confusion to the soundscape. My vinyl rig offers by far the more realistic experience. I have multiple copies of Mahler's 2nd Symphony on both CD and vinyl, and I never listen to the CDs any more.

I would like to find a CD player that makes me want to listen to CDs as much as vinyl!

I'm looking at reviews of the Rega Apollo R, the Teac PD H600, Audiolab 8200CD and the Decware Zen triode player. (Yes, around $1000 budget).

My rig: Pro-ject 2 Xperience/Shure V15-IV, Jico SAS, Cambridge 640c, Rogue Cronus Magnum/KT120 tubes, LS3/5a speakers, Kimber, Zu cabling.

Music tastes: Sibelius, Mahler, Bruckner, Bach, fifties torch singers.

I would love to hear suggestions from members!
Thanks
sumaato
sumaato OP
98 posts
 
a Neko Audio D100 might be very attractive, paired with my 640c. I wonder how it might compare to the Rega DAC, which is described as having a similar soundscape?

In a DAC-CDP configuration, how important is the mechanical player in contributing to the overall sound, compared with the contribution from the DAC?
gfcf424892
77 posts
 
There is a comparison between the Rega DAC and the Neko over at the Neko forums.

Transports shouldn't be a problem with the Neko as it has excellent jitter reduction via the Wolfson receiver. I have tried a few with mine and prefer a Sony DVP-S999ES as the transport. It just sounded the best to my ears; I think Sony makes solidly built transports. I also own the 640C and it's very flimsy, I'd avoid using it as a transport if you can.
vicks7
182 posts
 
I dont think a US$1,000 cd player can compete with a similarly priced decent vinyl set up unfortunately.
vicdamone
850 posts
 
You can get fairly close with today's digital but not with a player, let alone a player at your budget.

I'm an analog snob and your description of what your current CDP setup sounds like is all to familiar. I finally managed to put together a computer audio setup that kills my tubed CDP and provides a great deal of the lushness and ease of analog. It's also much simpler to find a title and play it.

Many of the under 2K DAC's aren't that much better, so beware.
slovell's avatar
slovell
55 posts
 
I just bought a Jolida JD100A and even with the supplied Tung Sol tubes it sounds very good. Warm and musical with nice detail, not dry sounding at all. Build quality is outstanding for the price.
Regards, Sam
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